22 notable musicians and bands from Dallas, Texas

Formed in 2000 by bandleader Tim DeLaughter, the Polyphonic Spree is one of the most innovative bands in music history. A massive choir that’s released five full-length albums, the band’s sound blends orchestral instruments with pop sensibilities for a sound that’s totally unique. 

A former member of the Polyphonic Spree, Annie Clark, better known to fans as St. Vincent, is a killer guitarist and vocalist. Known for songs like “Digital Witness” and “Love This Giant,” her collaboration with artist David Byrne, Clark moved to Dallas as a child and lived there before moving to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music. 

The stage name of ‘90s rapper Robert Van Winkle, Vanilla Ice was born in Dallas and bounced between the suburb of Carrollton and Miami as a young man. Van Winkle first got his start as a rapper participating in open mics at Dallas nightclub City Lights before his colossal hit “Ice Ice Baby” was released in 1990.  

Founded by bassist Laura Lynch, guitarist Robin Macy, and Martie and Emily Erwin, the Dixie Chicks got its start in Dallas in 1989. Lubbock native and powerhouse vocalist Natalie Maines joined the band in 1995 after Lynch and Macy’s respective departures, and the rest is history. 

Vocalist Demi Lovato was born in New Mexico but raised in Dallas. She appeared on the children’s show Barney & Friends, also created in Dallas, as a child, before going on to her breakout role in Disney’s Camp Rock in 2008. Since then, she’s evolved into a full-fledged pop star, with seven full-length albums under her belt. 

One of the most iconic names in Texas music history, Stevie Ray Vaughan grew up in the city’s Oak Cliff neighborhood. The guitar virtuoso moved to Austin in 1972, where he became a fixture of the city’s legendary music scene and recorded hits like “Texas Flood” with his band Double Trouble. In 1990, Vaughan died too young, at the age of 35, in a helicopter crash in Wisconsin. 

Newly minted pop-country star Maren Morris was born in the Dallas suburb of Arlington and got her start as a performer at the town’s beloved Johnnie High’s Country Music Revue. From there, she moved to Nashville, working as a songwriter before releasing her wildly popular self-titled EP in 2015, which included the top-ten hit “My Church.” 

Born in New York and raised in the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, Jones attended the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas in high school, then went on to the equally prestigious jazz program at the University of North Texas. From there, she moved back to New York and began her musical career. In 2002, Jones released her breakout album Come Away With Me, a #1 hit that’s since been certified Platinum by the RIAA 10 times. 

This prolific alt-country band, fronted by Rhett Miller, formed in Dallas in the early ‘90s and has been going strong ever since. The band released its 12th studio album, Twelfth, in August 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Born just outside of Dallas in Grand Prairie in 1992, Selena Gomez was named after fellow famous Texan Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Like her contemporary Demi Lovato, Gomez appeared on the Dallas-born series Barney & Friend before starting her television and music career as a Disney Channel star in the mid-2000s.

Born Austin Richard Post, rapper Post Malone moved to Dallas suburb Grapevine at age 9, where he lived and shared his first mixtapes with his high school classmates. Post later moved to Los Angeles, where he rose to fame by independently releasing tracks like “White Iverson,” a massive underground hit, before signing a record deal in 2015. Since then, he’s developed a cult following of fans and sold millions of albums. 

Born south of Dallas in Waxahachie, R&B singer Tevin Campbell first started singing gospel music at his family church. From there, he connected with legendary producer Quincy Jones and released his first #1 hit, “Tomorrow,” in 1990. Campbell has since gone on to star in the Broadway musical Hairspray and continues to sporadically release music. 

Born in Dallas and a graduate of the city’s Thomas Jefferson High School, Michael “Meat Loaf” Aday’s first performances came in high school musicals like “The Music Man.” Aday moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, where he scored his first record deal and went on to appear in iconic films like “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and record hits, including hits “I Would Do Anything” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.” 

Born in the far-flung suburb of McKinney, Markies “Yella Beezy” Conway first started rapping at the age of 13. Later, he moved to the city’s Oak Cliff neighborhood and started releasing mixtapes. His breakout came in 2017, with the hit “That’s On Me,” which peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

An Oak Cliff native who attended the city’s prestigious Booker T. Washington performing arts high school, Edie Brickell also attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She joined the New Bohemians in 1985, and the band’s debut album “Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars” brought mainstream success. In 1992, Brickell married fellow singer-songwriter Paul Simon, and the couple now lives in Connecticut. 

A thrash metal band fronted by the late Riley Gale, Power Trip was formed in Dallas in the mid-2000s. The band earned both critical success and a cult fan following, earning a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance in 2021 for their live performance of “Executioner’s Tax.” 

Formed in Fort Worth in the late ‘80s, even those who aren’t from North Texas have familiarity with Possum Kingdom Lake thanks to the Toadies classic 1994 song “Possum Kingdom.” 

A gospel icon with 16 Grammy Awards under his belt, Kirk Franklin is a Fort Worth native who attended Oscar Dean Wyatt High School. A choir leader and solo artist, Franklin’s songs have been performed by artists like Tamela Mann, Whitney Houston, Shirley Caesar, and CeCe Winans, among other vocal legends. 

Born in Fort Worth and raised in nearby Burleson, where she attended high school, Kelly Clarkson rose to superstardom after winning the first season of reality singing competition American Idol. Since then, she’s grown into a full-fledged pop sensation, selling millions of albums and recording hits like “Miss Independent” and “Whole Lotta Woman.” 

Born in Mississippi but raised in Texas, LeAnn Rimes first rose to attention as a teen as a performer at the Johnnie High Country Music Revue in Arlington, and by singing the National Anthem at Dallas Cowboys football games. At the age of 13, in 1994, Rimes recorded “Blue,” a song that was originally written for Patsy Cline that thrust Rimes into country music stardom upon its release in 1996. 

A native Dallasite, Erykah Badu still makes the city her home. She attended the city’s prestigious Booker T. Washington performing arts high school and danced at the Dallas Theater Center before heading to Grambling State University in Louisiana. 

A legendary bluesman shrouded in mystique, one of Robert Johnson's two documented recording sessions was held in Dallas in 1937. More than half of the original recordings of Johnson's tunes were recorded in Dallas, making the city an essential part of the Mississippi native's musical history.